Holding Hands
by Bookworm1063
Summary: Will asks Nico out on Thanksgiving. Or, some Solangelo fluff before The Tyrant's Tomb undoubtedly scars us all for life.


Nico hadn't known that Camp Half-Blood celebrated Thanksgiving.

But apparently they did, and apparently it was a big deal, because the harpies had been flying back and forth from the kitchen all morning, clearing away the breakfast dishes and setting out platter after platter of traditional Thanksgiving food.

Most of the other campers had been drafted into helping; Nico was sitting out on the edge of the strawberry patch, watching from a distance. He couldn't make out individual faces from here, but he could see the tiny specks moving around the dining pavilion and the sky above it.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here." Nico didn't look up, but he did roll his eyes.

"Go away, Will."

"No. I told you last week, no more solitary sulking. Doctor's orders. Let's go."

Nico didn't bother to respond, just returned most of his attention to the dining pavilion.

Will tugged on his arm. "Come on, Lord of Darkness. We're helping."

Nico just dug the fingers of his other hand into the grass, pulling up a handful of dirt and a single earthworm.

"Oh, leave it alone," Will said. Nico opened his hand, letting the dirt fall back to the ground. The worm curled around his finger and stayed there.

"Gross."

"It likes you."

Nico sighed and pulled the worm off his finger, letting it fall into the grass at his feet. "Seriously, Will. Leave me alone."

"No."

"Gods of Olympus. Do I have to summon skeletons or zombies or something? Is that what it takes?"

Will laughed, and out of the corner of his eye, Nico watched him tip his head back, letting the sun wash his features in gold.

"Alternatively, I could just sit here and annoy you until you agree to help, just to get rid of me."

Nico raised one hand in warning. The ground cracked open at his feet.

"Going to drag me to the Underworld, Death Boy?"

Nico almost laughed. "If I did that, I'd really never be rid of you. You'd haunt me for eternity."

Will chuckled and reached for Nico's hand, dragging him to his feet. If it had been anyone else, Nico would have seriously considered breaking their wrist. Because it was Will, he merely scowled and squinted into the sun.

"It's Thanksgiving, Nico. Join the holiday spirit. You might have fun."

Nico was still scowling as Will dragged him to the dining pavilion.

o-o-o-o-o

Nico escaped as soon as he could.

The Woods were quiet, almost peaceful. There were too many ghosts in these trees for the place to ever truly be calm, but it was the closest thing to it Nico had found at Camp Half-Blood.

"You know, it's tradition to say something you're thankful for," someone said. "Since, you know, Thanksgiving."

"I was born in Italy," Nico replied without turning around. "By the time I celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time, I was already over seventy years old. Little late for new traditions."

"Aww, come on," Will said, leaning against the tree next to Nico. "I'll go first."

Nico rolled his eyes, but he didn't move away. _What was it about this boy…_

He was nothing like Percy, Nico's first crush, but maybe that was why Nico liked him so much. Will was like the sun- steady and constant and calming, but blinding if you looked directly at him.

Nico had spent too much time looking directly at him.

"I'm thankful for… my friends," Will said. "And my mom. And Chiron, and camp, and good food, and nice weather, and-"

"How long is this list?" Nico interrupted. "I don't have all day."

"Oh, ha ha," Will said. "I'm thankful for you, idiot."

Nico was so shocked, he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He stood there, blinking, staring at Will with his eyes wide.

"And also," Will continued, seemingly oblivious to Nico's internal crisis, "I'm asking you out."

Nico was pretty sure he'd died and gone to Elysium. Because there was a cute boy, and Nico really liked him, and he'd just asked Nico out. This wasn't the sort of thing that happened to him. Cute boys that Nico liked didn't just ask him out.

Will finally noticed that something was clearly going on with Nico, because he said, "Or not. I mean, I like you, a lot, but I'd rather be friends than nothing, and I don't want this to be awkward, so…"

Nico scrambled to find his voice.

"No!" he said, so quickly that Will jumped. "No," he said. "I mean, yes. I mean-" Gods of Olympus, what was _wrong _with him? "Yeah, sure."

Will tipped his head to the side. "Now I'm confused."

"I'll go out with you," Nico said. "I want to go out with you."

Will's smile could have set the forest on fire.

"Awesome."

Nico just nodded. He had no idea what to do from here.

"So… not to push my luck or anything, but would it be alright if I kissed you? Or is that likely to get me sent to Hades?"

Nico tried- and failed- not to blush.

"I suppose that would be alright."

Will leaned in and pressed his lips to Nico's. It was Nico's first kiss- he had no idea what made a kiss _good _or _bad_, since he had nothing to compare it to, but as he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Will's neck, he figured that this was pretty good. As first kisses went.

Much too soon, in Nico's opinion, Will pulled away. "So," he said.

Nico cleared his throat. "So."

Will's signature grin was back. Nico wondered why he'd ever found it annoying.

"They probably haven't started eating yet. If you want food."

Nico glanced back in the direction of camp and found that suddenly, he had a few things to be grateful for. And that stuffing smelled heavenly.

"Fine."

And if Will took Nico's hand on their way out of the Woods, and Nico didn't pull away, well. That was no one's business but theirs.


End file.
